Today I’m launching a series on gut health.  SIBO, candida, IBS, IBD, Crohn’s, diverticulitis and acid reflux are just a handful of issues we associate as gut disorders or diseases.  But did you know that more than 170 diseases have been connected to gut health?

I have been intrigued by all of the research and reports on gut health for a few years now.  I have read countless books by doctors, researchers and health writers.  Each one may have their own twist on the subject, but in the end they all boil down to a few basic principles.  My goal is to take you inside the inner workings of the gut to give you a better understanding of just how important gut health is to our overall health.

Let’s start with some basic facts:

• Over 70 million people in the U.S. alone have some type of digestive disease.
• 90% of all disease can be traced back to an unhealthy gut.
• The gut is home to 80% of our immune system.
• The gut has more neurons than the spinal cord.

• The gut plays a large role in our immunity, hormone regulation, blood sugar, and the health of our brain; responsible for creating vitamins, amino acids, neurotransmitters and hormones.

• The gut is your largest sensory organ.
• There are 100 trillion bacteria living in our bodies, making up 90% of our cells.
• Every person has a unique gut microbiome that is constantly changing based on diet, lifestyle and environment.
• The lining of our gut is only one cell deep, making it susceptible to permeability by damaging foreign matter if not healthy.

What does all this have to do with diets?

There are so many diets out there right now, and have been for decades.  We have Atkins, paleo, gluten-free, whole food plant-based, vegetarian, and vegan as some of the major categories of diets.  None of them works for everyone, but all of them work for someone.  Why is that?  As you will learn over the coming months, no one diet works for everyone because we are all distinctively different in our gut microbiome.

Our gut microbiome can be seen as the center, literally, of it all.  The gut microbiome is home to 80% of our immune system, and affects everything from hormone levels – like insulin, leptin and ghrelin – to our nutrient levels and brain health, like brain fog.  Our own genes are 99% the same, but our bacteria genes are ever changing over the course of our lives.  We know we can turn our own genes on and off (how they express) through diet and lifestyle.  We can also change the composition of our bacteria through diet; thereby changing our health.

If 90% of our cells are bacteria, we all have unique gut microbiomes, and the state of our gut varies from person to person; wouldn’t it seem logical that our dietary requirements to regain that balance and heal our guts would also vary?

As you will learn through this series, the state of your gut has a direct impact on how your gut reacts to the foods you eat every day.  It may also explain why you react differently to certain foods than someone else.  So stay tuned.  We’re in for a wild ride.

Yours in Wellness,

Jackie

Next post: Understanding the Digestive System